USG announces more than $364 million in new humanitarian funding for Syria and neighboring countries. SARG and GoRF resume airstrikes on September 19 following dissolution of new CoH agreement. UN officially designates eastern Aleppo city as a besieged location; humanitarian conditions deteriorate significantly. Airstrikes on UN humanitarian convoy in Big Orem, Aleppo, kills multiple aid workers.

USAID announces more than $12 million in additional funding. Government of Haiti (GoH) and other relief actors implement WASH activities and restore health care services in Haiti. Relief actors continue to distribute USAID/OFDA relief supplies in Grand’Anse and Sud.

The Partnerships for Peace project is a capacity-building and networking effort that will support West African regional institutions, national governments, and civil society organizations to more effectively counter violent extremism in the Sahel region.&nbsp; The project approach is rooted in empowering West African institutions and organizations to lead sustainable, long-term peacebuilding efforts.

The Moderate Voices project is a regional communication and media strengthening effort that will leverage both traditional and new media to counter violent extremism (CVE) and promote democracy, human rights and governance. The project will support a culturally-resonant communications environment of indigenous CVE narratives by building the capacity of locally influential voices, establishing interactive media platforms, and engaging at-risk youth, women, and communities with quality, credible CVE content.

As the nature and scope of violent extremism has expanded in West Africa, the breadth and depth of interventions to counter violent extremism have also grown and evolved. However, a critical gap remains in the availability of concrete measurement tools to identify at-risk individuals and communities who may be susceptible to the influence of violent extremist organizations.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) and USAID is joining with the Department of Homeland Security’s Stop.Think.Connect.™ Campaign and its partners across the country to highlight the importance of cybersecurity and online safety.

Hurricane Matthew is the strongest hurricane to impact the Caribbean since 2007. Host country governments, UN agencies, and NGOs begin preparedness activities in advance of the storm. USAID/OFDA activates regional Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) with staff in The Bahamas, Haiti, and Jamaica.